The material to be conveyed in the context of a conveyor is applied, in the form of a free-flowing solid for example, at a transfer section by means of a transfer hopper onto the conveyor belt. Transfer sections of this generic type, also termed input sections or input units, have been known for a long time: these are described by way of example in DE 10 2010 005 852 A1, DE 2 321 025, DE 1 756 248, DE 697 992, DE 444 099, DD 292 887 A5, DD 254 182 A1, DD 253 234 A1, or DD 245 177 A1.
The transfer section often comprises at least one transfer hopper. However, it can also take the form of chute, downpipe, or slide.
The transfer section part that is in direct contact with the material to be conveyed is mostly provided with a wear-protection system. The wear-protection system serves inter alia to reduce damage to the surfaces, which are often composed of metal, in particular in the case of transfer hoppers and of downpipes. The metal is thus also protected from corrosion. The wear-protection system moreover absorbs the energy of impact of the conveyed materials on the application location (shock absorption). The wear-protection system is mostly composed of a rubber mixture comprising at least one rubber component or one rubber component blend, at least one crosslinking agent or one crosslinking system comprising a crosslinking agent and an accelerator, and also mostly other mixture ingredients, in particular at least one filler and/or at least one processing aid and/or at least one aging inhibitor and/or at least one plasticizer and/or other additional substances (for example, fibers, color pigments). By virtue of the vulcanization of the rubber mixture, the wear-protection system obtains the required resilient properties.
The resilient properties serve inter alia for the absorption of the energy of impact of the materials conveyed (shock absorption). This shock absorption, that is, the reduction of the energy of impact, impacts the life time of the input section, and also of the conveyor belt.